Leela Gray seeks FL-13 seat in Nov. 3 general election

Leela Gray, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, is running as a Democrat for Florida's 13th Congressional District in the Nov. 3 general election. She is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Gray faces Republican Anna Paulina Luna and Tony D'Arrigo, who has no party preference. The district covers parts of Pinellas County, including Palm Harbor and Dunedin.

Gray won her three-person Democratic primary with 65% of the vote, according to Military.com.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Florida 13th Congressional District
Residence: Tampa Bay area; Gray said she has lived there since 2003, according to her campaign website
Family: Gray said her husband, Tony, is a Navy officer. They have a daughter, Bailly, according to VoteVets.
Education: Bachelor's degree from Elon University; law degree from Stetson University College of Law; graduate degree from the U.S. Army War College, according to Ballotpedia
Military service: Served in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 2019, retiring as a brigadier general, according to BallotReady profile data. Gray said she is a third-generation veteran. Her father and grandfather both served in the Air Force, she said.

Experience and public service

Gray served as commander of the 86th Training Division and as a strategic advisor at U.S. Army Cyber Command, according to EMILYs List. She completed three deployments, including to Iraq, and a peacekeeping mission during her Army career, according to EMILYs List and VoteVets.

Her military honors include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and multiple Meritorious Service Medals, according to EMILYs List. Gray said she served as a commander in Alabama, Indiana, New York and Wisconsin.

Gray said she worked at the U.S. Department of State in 2014 and 2015, collaborating on initiatives to counter terrorist propaganda through strategic international partnerships. She also worked on Capitol Hill, according to EMILYs List.

In the private sector, Gray worked at Booz Allen Hamilton from 1999 to 2011 and as a program manager at CACI International Inc from 2012 to 2013, according to BallotReady. She is also an attorney, according to VoteVets, and said she hosted and produced a Tampa-area TV show called Veterans Strong.

Gray serves as a volunteer mentor at Tampa Bay WAVE and as an executive board member of a major international nonprofit, according to EMILYs List. She said she was the first in her family to go to college and grew up in rural Virginia.

On the issues

Gray has outlined positions on several policy areas on her campaign website and in media interviews. The following reflect the candidate's stated positions.

Healthcare and seniors: Gray said she wants to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. She criticized the Big Beautiful Bill for its impact on Medicaid and SNAP, according to FOX 13. She said the district's healthcare system must deliver affordable, quality, dependable care.

Environment: Gray said she supports a permanent ban on offshore drilling and wants to protect beachfronts, rivers, bays and waterways as critical infrastructure.

Housing and economy: Gray said she wants to make housing affordable for Pinellas residents, lower insurance costs, crack down on corporate fraud and make childcare affordable and homeownership attainable.

Government reform: Gray said she has championed an anti-corruption agenda that includes overturning the Citizens United decision, banning corporate PAC donations, banning stock trading by members of Congress, banning prediction markets and suspending congressional pay during government shutdowns.

Foreign policy: Gray called the February strikes that launched the recent Iran War "reckless," saying the U.S. lacks clear strategic objectives and that Congress abdicated its responsibility by allowing the administration to act without a declaration of war, according to Military.com.